Congressman Katko Becomes First House Republican to Support President Trump’s Impeachment
Benjamin Schiller, SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Congressman John Katko (NY-24) became the first Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to support impeaching President Donald Trump for the second time.
“To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,” said Katko in a released statement. “For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this president.”
Katko, who has been a recent critic of President Trump’s claims that the presidential election was stolen, said that he felt he had a moral obligation to his oath of office to be one of the few Republicans expected to vote to impeach Trump for the second time.
The four-term representative will join the 218 House Democrats in voting to impeach Trump for inciting last Wednesday’s insurrection on Capitol Hill. The needed majority of votes are already in place for tomorrow’s vote in what is expected to be the fourth successful impeachment vote in American history.
As a former federal prosecutor, Katko said he felt that he has a civic duty to protect America’s democratic system. “To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,” said Katko, who endorsed President Trump in 2020. “For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to
impeach this president.”
Katko also added that one of his former interns was one of the Capitol Hill police officers “severely injured” during the riot. He later mentioned that he thought of the officer’s mental well-being after the violent attack, which also contributed to how he plans to vote tomorrow.
Republican Congressman Tom Reed (NY-23), who represents Ithaca and its surrounding areas, said he supports censuring President Trump but has not yet declared how he plans to vote tomorrow. New York’s 22nd Congressional District still has an open seat as the battle between incumbent Congressman Anthony Brindisi (D) and former Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R) is still being decided in the courts.
This is a developing story. Follow @CitrusTVNews on Twitter for updates.
